An electrical engineer by trade, Julie Payette had flown two missions in space for the construction of the International Space Station (ISS).  During her astronaut training, she completed training as a military pilot on the CT-114 “Snowbird” jet and also holds a commercial pilot’s licence. Ms. Payette joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in Houston in August 1996.  She has logged 611 hours and more than 400 orbits around the Earth in two separate spaceflights on board the space shuttles “Discovery” (1999) and “Endeavour” (2009).

Ms. Payette served as Chief Astronaut for the Canadian Space Agency from 2000-2007, was a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC, and was Québec’s Scientific Delegate to the United States from 2011 to 2013.  In July 2013, Ms. Payette became the Chief Operating Officer of the Montréal Science Centre and a Vice-President of the Canada Lands Company.  She is a Knight of the National Order of Québec and an Officer of the Order of Canada. Ms. Payette is also a member of several boards and has been on the board of the National Bank of Canada since April 2014.